Devlin asked each of the defendants he saw whether they planned to kill anyone upon their release, the Chronicle reported, then released them until a rescheduled Jan. 4 court date — the day Oakes takes over the 313th District Court.

"This could endanger the public," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a written statement. "We oppose the wholesale release of violent offenders at any age."

After the ACLU of Texas asked the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate Devlin's actions, he apparently did not come to court Thursday.

The court's coordinator did not respond to requests for comment on his absence.

"Maybe he is reflecting upon the merits of his new release policy," Harris County Chief Public Defender Alex Bunin told the Chronicle.

Harris County nearly doubled the number of youths sent to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department during Devlin's tenure, but Halpert told the Chronicle he'd seen only one defendant kept in custody Wednesday. Seven were released, including four facing charges of aggravated robbery, officials told the paper.

Devlin campaigned on a platform of reducing recidivism, especially for youth involved in gangs.

"I feel I bring the right balance of fairness, toughness and judicial knowledge to the 313th District," Devlin wrote on his election website. "We're talking about the future generations of our society and our nation."